Saxophone Forum


by mojocoggo
(97 posts)
19 years ago

My dilemma

I have been playing saxophone since the 5th grade, and I am now in 10th. Here is my situation: I played alto in 5th-7th grade, and my mom bought me an alto because we both thought that I would play it through college. Then I discovered the baritone. I instantly loved the baritone, but I thought it was just a novelty, and would wear off. It didn't. I have been playing it since then. I have been playing on school instruments only. At my current school, I have a choice of 3 different baris, all of which are ''hand-me-down's'' (more like ''hand-me-up'') from the middle school, and are not fully functional (broken/missing keys, chipped tone holes...etc). I am beginning to get frustrated with this because my friend who also plays baritone has is own bari, which works perfectly. These broken instruments are really limiting my playing, and I am beginning to notice it now more than ever. However, I still have my alto, and it hasn't been getting much use. It is a reputable brand, and it is in excellent condition. I would really like to sell it, and start saving for my own baritone sax, but whenever I mentioned selling it to my mom she sounded quite offended, like I was being disrespectful. (What's the deal with that?) I am confident that I can get at least $1500 for it ($2000 was the retail), which would be a big help in affording a baritone. I don't know how to approach my mom about this. I could easily sell it on eBay because I already have an account set up, and I have bought and sold numerous things on eBay before. So my question is: how can I go about convincing my mom that I would rather play baritone than alto? Already, I am practicing on my own for at least 2 hours a day, and spend pretty much my whole day thinking about saxophones, and listening to the Nuclear Whales. She is beginning to see that I like the baritone better but she is still against me selling my alto. Any ideas? Thanks

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  1. by connsaxman_jim
    (2336 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: My dilemma

    Just keep an eye on ebay and second hand stores , and maybe something will turn up. Bari's in good condition usually bring pretty good money, but I have seen a few on ebay that sold fairly cheap. I wouldn't sell the alto. Hang on to it. You may want to play both.

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    1. by definition
      (963 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: My dilemma

      Another reasonh to hang onto the alto is that If youm plan on using a sax as your main instrument, most colleges will let you play bari, but you have to choose either tenor or alto as a main axe

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      1. by west
        (242 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: My dilemma

        If she helps pay for the instrument, i don't suggest selling your alto. That looks like how it's going to turn out. It's better if you think about it. As much as you love the bari, every once in awhile you will like to play the alto for preference of sound. just to here something different. That's what I do with my saxes. I play tenor at school, and i play soprano,C melody, (and maybe soon to come alto) at home

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        1. by mojocoggo
          (97 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: My dilemma

          Thanks so much for all your help! I guess I'll keep the alto, and then get a summer job or something and start $aving...

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        2. by west
          (242 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: My dilemma

          now that is an idea.

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      2. by barisax999
        (400 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: My dilemma

        personally i would say keep the alto. if you really want to keep playing, then hang onto it and save up seperately. ebay is good place, as well as saxalley.com and wwbw.com also try playing in ensembles where you can play alto as well. i play bari and i play in a jazz combo where i also play tenor and clarinet. for baris check out the selmer vintage or new, both great horns. and also the yanagisawa 991

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      3. by woutanh
        (19 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: My dilemma

        your're right.. we are both in the same boat... but definatly keep your alto. it's better to be versatile... have you tried playing tenor before?? i personlly like it the best.. it's lots of fun and has an more mellow tone. but i agree.. bari sax is addicting to play... good luck finding a bari.. i think we're gonna end up fixing the school horns over the summer. ~red

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